Typographical composing-machine.



C. MUEHLEISEN.

TYPOGRAPHICAL COMPOSING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 18. 19:5.

1,149,672. Patented Aug. 10,1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

C. MUEHLEISEN. TYPOGRAPHICAL COMPOSING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED MAR.18. 1915.

1,149,672. Patented Aug. 10, 1915.

V 4 SHEETSSHEET 2- 7V v I I I i I I I I'rwan'ibr c. MUEHLEISEN.

TYPOGRAPHICAL COMPOSING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 18 1915' w ma T on only m as WW4. m D1 0 \0 4 a i9 A: 7 o a0. 0 /../l.. 6 o 7 9 0 z 54 .6 T no alm. 41 i C. MUEHLEISEN.

TYPOGRAPHICAL COMPOSING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. I8. 1915.

1,149,672. Patented Aug. 10, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

CARL MUEHLEISEN, OE BERLIN, GERMANY, ASSIGNORTO MERGENTHALER LIN'OTYPECOMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 10, 1915.

Application filed March 18, 1915. Serial No. 15,317.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CARL MUEI-ILEISEN, a

citizen of the United States of America, residing at Chausseestrasse 23,Berlin, N. 4:, in the Empireof Germany,have invented new and usefulImprovements in Typographical Composing-Machines, of which the followingis a specification.

This .invention relates to typographical composing machines such asthose known commercially under the trade mark Linotype, and particularlyto those which are provided with a plurality of superposed inclinedmagazines from which matrices are discharged into a single assemblerentrance. Hitherto it has been customary to construct such magazineswith their delivery ends in substantially the same inclined plane, andeither to mount them on the machine so that any desired one of theplurality can be moved into operative relationship with a fixedassembler entrance or to have the magazines fixed and the assemblerentrance adjustable at will to cooperate with one or other of them. Thelast-mentioned arrangement, while possessing certain advantages ascompared with that in which the magazines are movable,.has not provedentirely satisfactory for the reason that the adjustment of theassembler entrance has involved an undesirable lack of uniformity inrespect of the length of the path of the matrices between the deliveryends of the magazines and the assembler belt, in the several operativepositions of the said entrance.

According to the present invention the just-named disadvantage iseliminated by so arranging the magazines in the machine that theirdelivery ends,instead of, as heretofore, lying in an inclined plane, liein an imaginary surface forming, or approximately forming, part of acylinder, hereinafter for convenience referred to as a cylindricalsurface, and the assembler plate is pivoted to swing thereunder, so thatthe distance to be traveledby the matrices is substantially the same forevery operative position of the said plate.

The accompanying drawings show two constructional forms of the inventioneach applied, as a convenient example, to a machine having fourmagazines.

In these drawings, throughout the several figures of which likereference numerals are used to indicate like or corresponding parts,

Figure 1 is a right-hand side elevation of one of the saidconstructional forms, only the pertinent parts of the machine beingrepresented; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same, some of the partsshown in Fig. 1 being omitted; Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 ofanother constructional form of the invention; Fig. 4, a front elevationthereof, and Fig. 5 a sectional view of the connection between thestationary and movable parts of the assembler plate.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the four superposed magazines 1, 2, 8, 4are, as is usual, provided with respective escapements 5, 6, 7 and 8,but, as distinguished from the arrangements hitherto generally employed,the said magazines have their delivery ends lying in a cylindricalsurface, as indicated by the dotted line 9. The escapements 5, 6, 7 and8 are operated to release matrices from the respective magazine by oneand the same set ofescapement rods 10, cooperating, in the mannerhereinafter described, with rods 11, which latter are in turn actuatedbythe ordinary cam-carriage mechanism (not shown in the drawings),controlled from the keyboard 12. The released matrices fall from therespective magazine directly into the assembler plate 13 on to theassembler belt 14, and are conveyed by the latter to the star wheel 15(Fig. 2) by which they are successively added to the assembling line.

According to the present invention, the assembler plate 13 is rigidlysecured to a frame 16 pivotally mounted on a rod 17 which, as shown inFig. 2, is supported in suitable bearings in the machine frame, andwhich is concentric with the curve of the cylindrical surface 9. Thepulleys 18, 19, for the assembler belt 1 1 are mounted in bearings inthe frame 16 so that the said assembler plate 13, belt 14 and pulleys18, 19, move together with the frame 16 when the latter is swung on therod 17, while the housing 20, in which the star wheel 15 rotates,remains stationary, the entrance to the said housing 20 beingfunnel-shaped, as shown in Fig. 1, to insure the proper passagethereinto of the matrices delivered from the assembler belt. Theassembler belt 14: may be driven by a belt 21, passing over a pulley 22fast to the spindle of the pulley 19, and suitably guided overintervening jockey pulleys 23 which, although not so shown in thedrawings, may be co-aXial with the rod 17, so that the tension of thebelt 21 may be maintained throughout the pivotal movement of the frame16; the belt 21 passes from the guide pulleys 23 to a pulley on thedriving shaft. As an alternative to the just described arrangement, theassembler belt 1 can be driven directly from the pulley 18, instead offrom the pulley 19. The star wheel 15 is independently driven by meansof the pulley'2t, or in any other convenient manner.

The adjustment of the assembler plate 13 into operative relationshipwith one or other of the magazines, is effected by a handle 25 on a rod26, which extends through, and is longitudinally movable in, a guide 27fast to or integral with the frame 16. The rod 26 is provided with aprojecting pin 28, which is adapted to engage notches 29 in a plate Orsector 30 fast to the machine frame, for the purpose of holding theassembler plate 13 in any of the operative positions to which it may beadjusted, the pin 28 being retained in any of the notches 29 by atension spring 31, which acts on a lever arm 32 fast at one end to arocking shaft 33 and connected at its opposite end, by a link 34, to therear end of the rod 26.

As stated above, there is only one set of escapement rods 10 foroperating the escapements of all the magazines. These escapement rods 10are brought into operative relationship with the escapements of any oneof the magazines simultaneously with the adjustment of the assemblerplate 13 to coiiperate with that magazine, and the means by which thisis effected will now be described.

Fast to the upper end of the frame 16,

which constitutes a comb which serves to guide the upper ends of theescapement rods .10, each ,of which rods has a slot 36, traversed by awire or rod 35 extending preferably throughout the whole bank of suchrods and fast to the bracket 35, to permit comb plate 40 serving toguide the said lower ends. The plate 40 extends in front of the wholebank of escapement rods, and is fast at one end to the lever arm 32 andat the opposite end to a similar arm fast to is pulled forwardpreparatory to efiecting an adjustment of the assembler plate 13, theplate 4:0 is also pulled forward, by the consequent movement of the rod26, link 34:, lever arm 32 and rocking shaft 33, and the respectivenotches 37 then in engagement with the rods 11 are pulled out of suchengagement. The movement of the handle 25 up or down swings the frame 16on the rod 17, and with it the bracket 35, the shortening or lengtheningof that part of the escapement rods 10 between the bracket 35 and plate40 being permitted by the arcual slots 38 sliding over the rod 39. Afterthe assembler plate 13 has been moved into register with the desiredmagazine, the notches 37 appropriate to that magazine will be inposition to engage the rods 11, and the release of the handle 25 willpermit the spring or springs 31 to effect such engagement, as well as topull the pin 28 into the appropriate notch 29 so as to lock all theparts in the adjusted position. Thus, when the assembler plate 13 isadjusted to cotiperate with the magazine 4:, as indicated in dotand-dashlines in Fig. 1, the pin 28 will be engaging the highest notch 29, andthe highest rank of notches 37 will be in engagement with the heads ofthe rods 11.

The constructional form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 3, 4t and5 differs from that just described mainly in respect of the fact thatthe assembler plate 13 is pivoted eccentrically to the cylindricalsurface 9 and is movable vertically, or upwardly and downwardly, as wellas pivotally, which additional movement enables the radius of theaforesaid cylindrical surface 9 to be less than the distance between thepivotal axis of the assembler plate and the discharging ends of themagazines. This form of construction has the advantage that at thecentral magazines the distance to be traveled by the matrices is madesomewhat longer than at the outer magazines. lVhen cooperating with themagazines 1 and t, the assembler plate 13 is in a more oblique positionthan when cooperating with the magazines 2 and 3, and consequently thematrices falling from the magazines 1 and 1 are subjected, when passingthrough the assembler plate 13, to a greater amount of friction than arethose falling from the magazines 2, 3, the result being that the periodoccupied by such passage would differ in respect of the severalmagazines, but uniformity in this respect is secured by the longerdistance which, as aforesaid, the matrices have to travel when fallingfrom the magazines 2, 3.

For the purpose of permitting the abovementioned vertical movement ofthe assembler plate 13 the frame 16 is provided at its lower end withtwo slotted bearings 4-1 engaging with a stationary rod 42 on which itpivots, and is connected, by means of a link 48 beneath each of thesebearings, to one arm 44- of a three-armed lever (hereinafter, whenreferred to as a whole, identified by the reference 4 1), fast to a rockshaft 45, the opposite arm 46 of which lever is connected with a spring17 constantly tending to keep the bottom of the slotted bearings 41 inengagement with the rod 12. The upper end of the assembler plate 13 isretained in operative position, against foreand-aft movement, by theengagement of a pin 18, fast to the frame 16, with one of a number ofnotches 419 provided in the lower edge of a forwardly extending arm 50fast to the machine frame.

A handle 51 is fast to the frame 16, and pivoted to this handle at 52there is a bellcrank lever 53, one arm of which is arranged convenientlyfor gripping with the handle 51, the other arm being pivotally connectedby a link 5 1 to the rod 42, so that when the handle 51 and bell-cranklever 53 are gripped together, the assembler plate 13 is presseddownward, against the above-described action of the spring 17, until thetops of the slotted bearings 41 are in engagement with the rod 42. Thismovement also servesto disengage the pin 48 from the notch 49appropriate to the magazine with which the assembler plate 13 is thencooperating, and the latter is then free to be swung, by the handle 51,into position to coeperate with another magazine, after which swingingthe release of the grip between the handle 51 and lever 53 will enablethe spring 17 to raise the assembler plate 13 into its new operativeposition, wherein it will be locked by the engagement of the pin 418with the respective notch 419.

The escapement rods 10 are, in this constructional form of theinvention, moved with the assembler plate 13 in a manner somewhatsimilar to that described in connection with Figs. 1 and 2, exceptingthat in the present case a longitudinal adjustment of the said rods isnecessitated by the shorter radius of the surface 9. In order to providefor this longitudinal adjustment, the bracket of the first describedarrangement, in the present arrangement takes the form of a practicallyflat comb plate 55, and instead of being in rigid connection with theassembler plate 13, it is secured to a lever arm 56, one end of which ispivoted at 57 to a bracket 58 fast to or integral with the frame 16, andthe other end of which, by an antifriction roller 59, bears upon theupper edge 60 of the before-mentioned arm 50. This upper edge 60, beingstepped, forms virtually a cam track for the roller 59 which is kept incontact therewith by gravity during the pivotal movement of theassembler plate 13. As a result of this construction, when the assemblerplate is moved, the escapement rods 10 will, due to engagement lation tothe escapeinents of the magazine beneath which the assembler plate isbrought. The lower ends of the escapement rods 10 cooperate withthe'rods 11 in same manner as in the previously described constructionalform, the comb plate 40 being secured to the upstanding arms 61 of thelevers 4 1, the disengagement of the notches 37 from the rods 11 beingeffected by the movement of those arms (31 when the levers 44: arerocked by the gripping together, as before described, of the handle '51and lever 53. Simultaneously with this disengagement the assembler plate13 is lowered, and with it the bracket 58, leaving the escapementrodsand connected parts for the time being supported on the roller 59. Thearrangement of the cam track 60 is such that at the com mencement of thepivotal movement of the assembler plate 13, the escapement rods 10 arelowered away from the escapements with which they had been coiiperating,and

when the assembler plate has reached a position to receive matrices fromanother magazine, the said rods 10 are raised into operativerelationship with the escapements of that magazine. As previouslystated, the release of the grip between the handle 51 and lever 53 willeffect the locking of the assembler plate 13, and, as will now beunderstood, the engagement of the appropriate notches 37 with the rods11 will be simultaneously effected by the rocking of the levers 4stunder the influence of the springs 17.

To insure the proper delivery of matrices from the assembler belt to thestar wheel 15, the before-described housing 20, instead of beingfunnel-shaped as in the previously described constructional form, hashinged to its upper end a mouth 20' see Fig. 5-into the upper end ofwhich is telescopically fitted the lower end of the assembler plate 18,so that effective connection between the said assembler plate and thehousing 20 is maintained throughout the different movements of theassembler plate relatively to that housing.

It is to be understood that, although the drawings illustrate only oneframe 50, one lever arm 56 and one bracket 58, these devices may be induplicate, the two sets being at respectively opposite sides of themachine.

The foregoing embodiments of my invention have been selected merely byway of example and as preferred forms, but it will be readily understoodthat there may be other embodiments or adaptations of my inventionwithout departure from its spirit.

Generally speaking, I desire it to be unv,

specific form or embodiment except in so far as such limitations arespecified in the claims.

Having described my invention, I declare that What I claim and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is 1. In a typographical composing machme,

the combination with a plurality of superposed inclined magazinesterminating at their lower ends all in the same cylindrical surface, ofa set of escapements for each magazine located at its lower end, and aset of actuating rods pivotally supported below the magazines so as tobe swung into operative relation to the escapements of any selected onethereof.

2. In a typographical composing machine, the combination with aplurality of superposed inclined magazines terminating at their lowerends all in the same cylindrical surface, of a set of escapements foreach -magazine, a single assembler plate, a pivot about which the saidplate is adapted to swing, a single set of escapement rods, and meansadapted to simultaneously bring the said plate and escapement rods intooperlationship with any one of the magazines.

4:. In a typographical composing machine, the combination of a pluralityof superposed inclined magazines terminating at their lower ends all inthe same cylindrical surface, a set of escapements for each magazine, asingle assembler plate and a single set of escapement rods adapted tocooperate with any one of the magazines, key-controlled rods adapted toactuate the escapement rods,

. notches in the escapement rods respectively adapted to be engaged bythe key-controlled rods to actuate the respective escapements, and meansadapted to simultaneously adjust the assembler plate and escapement rodsto their respective operative positions.

5. In a typographical composing machine, the combination of a pluralityof superposed inclined magazines terminating at their lower ends all inthe same cylindrical surface, a set of escapements for each magazine, asingle assembler plate and a single set of escapement rods adapted tocooperate with any one of the magazines, key-controlled rods adapted toactuate the escapement rods, notches in the escapement rods respectivelyadapted to be engaged by the key-controlled rods to actuate therespective escapements, and means adapted to simulta neously lock theassembler plate and escapement rods to their respective operativepositions.

6. In a typographical composing machine, the combination of a pluralityof superposed inclined magazines terminating at their lower ends all inthe same cylindrical surface, a set of escapements for each magazine, asingle assembler plate and a single set of escapement rods adapted tocooperate with any one of the magazines, key-con trolled rods adapted toactuate the escapement rods, notches in the escapement rods respectivelyadapted to be engaged by the key-controlled rods to actuate therespective escapements, and means adapted to simultaneously lock andsimultaneously unlock the assembler plate and escapement rods in theirrespective operative position.

7. In a typographical composing machine, the combination of a pluralityof magazines each provided with a set of escapements at its lower end,an assembler plate pivotally supported below the magazines so as to beswung into operative relation to any selected one thereof, an assemblerbelt carried by the plate and adapted to convey the matricestherethrough, and a set of actuating rods also carried by a plate andadapted thereby to be brought into operative relation to the.escapements of the selected magazine.

8. In a typographical composing machine, the combination with aplurality of superposed inclined magazines terminating at their lowerends all in the same cylindrical surface and a single assembler plate,of a pivot eccentric to the said surface, means adapted to swing theassembler plate about the pivot, and means adapted to move the plateradially relatively to the pivot.

9. In a typographical composing machine,

the combination with a plurality of superposed inclined magazinesterminating at their lower ends all in the same cylindrical surface, aset of escapements for each magazine, a single assembler plate, a pivoteccentric to the said surface about which the assembler plate is adaptedto swing, means adapted to move the assembler plate radially relativelyto the pivot, a single set of escapement rods, and means adapted to movethe said rods longitudinally during the pivotal movement of theassembler plate.

10. In a typographical composing machine, the combination with aplurality of superposed inclined magazines terminating at their lowerends all in the same cylindrical surface, a set of escapements for eachmagazine, a single assembler plate, a pivot eccentric to the saidsurface about which the assembler plate is adapted to swing, meansadapted to move the assembler plate radially relatively to the pivot, asingle set of escapement rods, means adapted to bring the said assemblerplate and escapement rods into operative relationship with any one ofthe magazines, and means adapted to simultaneously swing the assemblerplate about the pivot and move the escapement rods in a fore-and-aftdirection.

11. In a typographical composing machine, the combination of anassembler plate, an assembler belt adapted to convey matrices throughthe assembler plate, a star wheel to which the assembler belt deliversmatrices to be assembled in line, a housing for the star wheel, ahorizontal pivot about which the assembler plate and assembler belt aremovable pivotally and radially as a complete entity independently of thehousing, and a telescopic connection between the assembler plate and thehousing.

12. In a typographical composing machine, the combination of anassembler plate, an assembler belt adapted to convey matrices throughthe assembler plate, a star wheel to which the assembler belt deliversmatrices to be assembled in line, a housing for the star wheel, a hingedmouth on the housing, a'horizontal pivot about which the assembler plateand assembler belt are movable pivotally and radially as a completeentity independently of the housing, and a telescopic connection betweenthe assembler plate and the hinged mouth.

13. In a typographical machine, the combination of a plurality ofmagazines each provided with a set of escapements at its lower end, anassembler plate pivotally supported below the magazines so as to beswung into operative relation to any selected one thereof, and a singleseries of actuating devices movable with the plate so as to be broughtinto operative relation to the escapements of the selected magazine.

14. In a typographical machine, the combination of a plurality ofmagazines each provided with escapements, an assembler plate pivotallymounted so as to be swung into operative relation to one or another ofthe magazines, and a series of actuating devices movable with theassembler plate so as to be brought into engaging relation with theescapements of the selected magazine, the said actuating devices beingformed in sections which are relatively adjustable to correspond to thedifferent positions of the assembler plate.

15. In a typographical machine, the combination of a plurality ofmagazines each provided with escapements, an assembler plate pivotallymounted so as to be swung into operative relation to one or another ofthe magazines, a set of escapement rods movable with the assembler plateso as to be brought into engaging relation to the escapements of theselected magazine, a set of actuating rods connected to the escapementrods, and means for disconnecting and reconnecting the two sets of rodsbefore and after each movement of the assembler plate, respectively.

16. In a typographical machine, the combination of a plurality ofmagazines each provided with escapements, an assembler plate pivotallymounted so as to be swung into operative relation to one or another ofthe magazines, a set of escapement rods movable with the assembler plateso as to be brought into engaging relation to the escapements of theselected magazine, a set of actuating rods connected to the escapementrods, devices for locking the assembler plate in its differentpositions, and means controlled by the said locking devices foreffecting the connection and'disconnection of the two sets of rods, forthe purpose described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twowitnessesc CARL MUEI ILEISEN.

Witnesses HENRY HAsPER, WOLDEMAR HAD'PT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

